Good People,
This missive is to bring you up to date on efforts to rebuild and sustain our Religious Education program. UU Ventura is not alone in having a disruption in RE programs, not alone in having to rebuild or needing to re-envision what our programs for our children, youth and families will look like.
Where we are now
RE is offered now, but in a different way. This, written for the website by the RE Advisory Group, explains what people with children can expect: We are currently in transition and recruiting a new Religious Education professional. During this transition, please bring your children to church so that they can experience connection with other youth their age through play and UU rituals. Activities are being planned by our dedicated, long-term RE volunteers.
What We Need Now
To keep the program going until a DRE is in place, we need a few more people to support Sunday mornings.
** If you have a fun program idea for children and youth, please let Laurie Lemson know.
** We also need 1-2 more folks who can help organize the RE schedule and support the volunteers who do the programs each Sunday.
Progress So Far
Board President Jim Merrill and Committee on Ministry member Krista Mendelsohn convened an RE Advisory Council with David Henkel, Kim Prieto, Francesca Ferrara, Laurie Lemson, Paul Grabowski, and Erica Duffy. A fine team.
They relaunched the RE program on Oct. 2 with a grand barbecue and party, with bouncy houses. The kids came forward for a story in the service, and the adults formed a Bridge of Love. Tears and laughter intermingled.
Since then, Laurie Lemson, Cary Davis, and Cheryl Gilbert have been offering fun RE session. For the present, Laurie and Francesca are organizing and coordinating Sundays with staff support from Jennifer Luce and Rev. Dana.
The Council is planning monthly events, especially for our children, youth, and families, though the whole congregation will be invited. The Council has also reached out to our RE families to find out how they and their kids are feeling about our programs and what they hope for in the future.
We are aware that this is the beginning of a process of regenerating our programs that will take us time to do well. We want a new religious educator as soon as possible, and we want that person to be a partner re-imagining RE. Do we want/need another DRE or a Director of Family Ministry or a Director of Lifelong Learning. Those are not just different names for the same job. They are different, if overlapping, ways of holding the congregation. Religious Education is a program of the whole congregation.
Search for our Next DRE
David Henkel and Kim Prieto are taking the lead in our search for our next Director of Religious Education with resources from the association. They will soon have a job posting up, aiming for a new
DRE in the new year. We will be seeking an Acting DRE at least ¾-time to help us transition and rebuild and be eligible to apply for the permanent position.
While we are not yet post-Covid, we are now discovering what the world looks like going forward. Perhaps we can call it the Big Reset.
As we enter the 3rd fall in Covid Time, at last I have space to get myself ‘up on the balcony’ to get a wider perspective of all that has ensued in our beloved congregation. The rebuilding of our RE program is a process that will evolve over time. We do have significant immediate needs to address. I encourage you to help as you can and to engage in a longer-term process of imagination and innovation.
With Faith in Community,
Rev. Dana
